Former Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup believes he should have been given more time at Carrow Road after being sacked last week.
Thorup made the move from Danish side FC Nordsjaelland to take over at Norwich in the summer, replacing David Wagner, who was sacked following the club’s play-off semi-final exit last season.
The 36-year-old endured a tough start to his time in Norfolk as he had to contend with the departure of stars such as Gabriel Sara and Jonathan Rowe, and with much of the focus placed on bringing in younger players and lowering the average age of the squad, his first year in charge was widely viewed as a transition season.
There were plenty of positives during the early stages of Thorup’s tenure, and his side often sat within touching distance of the play-off places, but inconsistency and defensive problems prevented the Canaries from making further progress up the table.
After a run of just one win in 10 games, Norwich made the shock decision to part company with Thorup last week following the 3-1 defeat at Millwall on Easter Monday, with coach Jack Wilshere taking charge on an interim basis for the final two games of the season.
Johannes Hoff Thorup’s record as Norwich City head coach (as per Transfermarkt)
Games
47
Won
14
Drawn
14
Lost
19
Johannes Hoff Thorup opens up on Norwich City departure
While Thorup admitted that his sacking by Norwich did not come as a complete surprise, he insisted that he did not get enough time, and he revealed that he would have changed his approach if he knew that he was expected to deliver instant success.
“I worked closer to the sporting director and the other directors than Glen did, so for him it was probably a bigger surprise than for me, because you can see in a football club when things start to change a bit,” Thorup told Tipsbladet.
“Communication becomes a bit less, and future plans for next season are put on hold more than they had been done previously.
“So I could see that it was pointing in a direction, but it was still a bit of a surprise, because it wasn’t quite what we had bought into to begin with.
“I always say we didn’t have enough time. We have obviously worked with a long-term perspective, and we also knew that the first season would have bumps in the road. That’s why we also made some decisions based on a longer-term view. That’s why we can be surprised how things can change all of a sudden.
“If the communication from the start had been that we were going to reach the top six and be one of the play-off clubs, we would probably have made some other decisions along the way.
“Then we wouldn’t necessarily have played with the youngest team in Norwich in generations, as we did in one of the games, where we had an average age of around 23.5 years, which is younger than some of the FC Nordsjælland teams I have sent onto the field.
“We probably prioritized what we knew would give us some performance here and now instead of giving some of the young players a chance. There have been some things along the way that we would have done differently if it had been solely about the performance.”
Wilshere arrived at Carrow Road in October to become part of Thorup’s coaching staff, but the Dane stressed that he has no problem with the former Arsenal midfielder taking interim charge after his exit.
“I was well aware of Jack’s terms of employment, so I knew that at some point he would step up as head coach, and we had also made a good plan together with him,” Thorup said.
“If it had been Glen who had taken over, I would probably have raised my eyebrows more than once, but not when it’s Jack. The premise for bringing him in was his next step in his career, where he would move on from Norwich or Glen and I would move on from Norwich so he could become head coach.
“I have learned a lot. If I am going abroad again, I need to have a bigger staff around me of people I know. From the outside, it is really about the players to start with when you start as a coach, but you work just as much with a staff and an organisation that has to understand your thoughts, and it has really taken a long time, and we didn’t get there either.”
Ben Knapper faces tough Norwich City questions after Johannes Hoff Thorup exit
Norwich did not spend a single day in the play-off places this season under Thorup, which was undoubtedly an underachievement given the quality of the squad at his disposal, particularly with two of the top scorers in the Championship in Borja Sainz and Josh Sargent.
However, there were still encouraging signs during Thorup’s tenure, with plenty of positive performances and comprehensive home victories to offer hope that, if he could tighten up the defence over the summer and solve the inconsistency, the Canaries could challenge for promotion next season.
Thorup’s comments seem to suggest that the goalposts were shifted by Sporting Director Ben Knapper, with the initial agreement of a transition season changing to a target of reaching the play-offs, and he has every right to feel frustrated by his sudden dismissal.
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